The Applied Soil Ecology Lab is well-equipped for research in the field and lab. Its students and personnel also have access to and regularly use Department of Soil Science equipment and Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences research and teaching facilities.

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Field Equipment
Gas, Soil, & Plant Chemistry Equipment
Soil Ecology & Molecular Biology Equipment
Department of Soil Science Equipment
Research Stations and Teaching Facilities

Applied Soil Ecology Lab Facilities

Field Equipment

The Applied Soil Ecology Lab’s UAV specialist Matt Gervais launches the DJI Matrice 100 Quadcopter Drone over a corn field where he will capture canopy reflectance using the mounted MicaSense Red Edge 5-channel camera © Krista Hanis-Gervais

DJI Matrice 100 Quadcopter Drone with a mounted MicaSense Red Edge 5-channel camera
Multi-spectral active reflectance sensor for NDRE computation (CropCircle 470, Holland Scientific Inc.)
Active reflectance sensor for NDVI computation (Trimble GreenSeeker handheld crop sensor)
Passive reflectance sensor (Multi-spectral camera)
Tunable diode laser for flux-gradient estimation of N₂O and CO₂ from soil (Campbell TGAS100A)
3-D Sonic Anemometers (Campbell CSAT3)
Open Path CO₂ Gas Analyzer (Li-7500, LI-COR Biosciences)
Open Path CH₄ Gas Analyzer (Li-7700, LI-COR Biosciences)
RM Young Wind Speed and Direction Monitor
Campbell Scientific weather stations including
- Air temperature and relative humidity sensors (HMP45C and HMP60, Vaisala Inc.)
- Tipping bucket rain gauge (TR-525M Rainfall Sensor, The Texas Instruments, Inc.)
Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) system (Gasmet DX 4015)
Flow through steady-state chambers

Technician Megan monitors the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) system (Gasmet DX 4015) as it analyzes greenhouse gas emissions from a manure pile via a flow through steady-state chamber © Krista Hanis-Gervais

Automated Soil CO₂ Flux System (Li-8100A, LI-COR Biosciences)
Quantum cascade-ICOS Fast Response Methane Analyzer (Los Gatos RMT200)
Raven AccuFlow condenser and Sidekick unit (Raven Industries) for application of anhydrous ammonia

Department of Soil Science John Deere tractor and R-Tech Industries Ltd. JT-AB “Thor” plot seeder outfitted with Bourgault Mid-Row disk-style banders (Bourgault Industries Ltd.) towing the Applied Soil Ecology Lab’s Sidekick unit and Raven AccuFlow condenser for anhydrous ammonia application. Also visible are two static-vented chambers used for sampling field gas emissions ©Mario Tenuta

Toolbar for in-season liquid fertilizer application capable of mid row injection or foliar dribble band
More than 500 static-vented chambers for gas sampling
Passive dosimeter chambers for gas sampling
Manual Dutch auger and BackSaver soil corers
ECH₂O soil moisture probes
Passive wick drainage lysimeters (Drain Gauge G3 Lysimeter, Meter Group)

Temperature probes
Data loggers (CR1000X) and multiplexers
Covered and insulated trailers

Gas, Soil, & Plant Chemistry Equipment

3D Printer (Ender 5 Plus)
Automated triple-detector gas chromatographs for determining CO₂, N₂O, and CH₄ (SCION 456)
Automated gas chromatograph for determining O₂ (SCION 436)

*One of the Applied Soil Ecology Lab’s gas chromatoraphs, loaded with 200 samples for analysis ©Marliese Peterson*

Zero air generator (Parker Balston)
Hydrogen generator (Parker Balston)
Exetainer^® vial auto-evacuator
Dual-channel ion chromatography system (Dionex ICS-1000) and autosampler (Dionex AS40 Automated Sampler) for cation, anion and volatile fatty acid analyses
Dry combustion analyzer (Vario Max Cube CNS, Elementar)

*The Applied Soil Ecology Lab’s dry combustion analyzer (Vario Max Cube CNS, Elementar)*
*©Marliese Peterson*

Automatic grain moisture meter (Dimo’s Tool & Die Ltd. Labtronics® Model 919® Automatic Moisture Meter)
UV-visible spectrophotometer with long path optical sensing tube
Microbial-biomass chloroform fumigation apparatus
Lab bench drying ovens
Upright and shaker incubators
Bench-top centrifuges and floor standing centrifuge
Oil redox and oxygen-diffusion probes and meters

Soil Ecology & Molecular Biology Equipment

ISO 5 HEPA-filtered air and UV light irradiated PCR clean bench / laminar hood (AirClean® Systems AC600 Series PCR Workstation with UVTect™ microprocessor controller)

*The Applied Soil Ecology Lab’s PCR clean bench (*AirClean® Systems AC600 Series PCR Workstation ) *©Marliese Peterson*

Conventional and real time PCR instruments
- CFX96 Touch™ Real-Time PCR Detection System (BIO-RAD)
- Mastercycler™ pro PCR System (Eppendorf)
- T100™ Thermal Cycler (BIO-RAD)

*Applied Soil Ecology Lab’s PCR systems (left to right: CFX96 Touch™ Real-Time PCR Detection System (BIO-RAD), Mastercycler™ pro PCR System (Eppendorf), T100™ Thermal Cycler (BIO-RAD))* *©Marliese Peterson*

Qubit 4 Fluorometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific)
Gel electrophoresis systems and imaging (Syngene G:BOX)
Full-spectrum, UV-Vis spectrophotometer (NanoDrop™ 2000 Spectrophotometer, Thermo Fisher Scientific)
Bead beaters (Mini-Beadbeater, Biospec Products)
Micro-centrifuge (IEC Microlite Microcentrifuge, Thermo Electron) and combined centrifuge/vortex mixer (PCV-2400, Grant-bio)
Autoclave
Laminar flow hoods
Incubators
- Water Bath (Isotemp™ Digital 2320 Water Bath, Fisher Scientific)
- Dry Bath (Isotemp™ Digital Dry Bath, Fisher Scientific)
Laboratory blender
Fluorescence microscope (OLYMPUS BX51) with high resolution FireWire™ Digital CCD color camera (OLYMPUS Q-Color3™) and QCapture software

The Applied Soil Ecology Lab’s fluorescence microscope (OLYMPUS BX51) with high resolution FireWire™ Digital CCD color camera (OLYMPUS Q-Color3™) *©Marliese Peterson*

Bright-field compound, dissecting, and inverted microscopes
Baermann-funnel and Berlese Tullgren equipment
USDA soil nematode cyst extractor

*PhD candidate Nazanin using the Applied Soil Ecology Lab’s USDA soil nematode cyst extractor.*

Departmental of Soil Science Equipment

Agronomic field operation equipment including
- Tractors (John Deere 5410 and John Deere 1050)
- Seeder: R-Tech Industries Ltd. JT-AB “Thor” plot seeder outfitted with Bourgault Mid-Row disk-style banders (Bourgault Industries Ltd.) capable of variable rate granular, liquid, and anhydrous ammonia application
- Planter: John Deere MaxEmerge 1755 four row vacuum planter with 2″ x 2″ side banders, modified for variable rate granular and liquid fertilizer application
- Three point hitch plot sprayer with T-jet nozzle bodies and 300 L tank for pesticide application
- Three point hitch rotovator
- Three point hitch mower
- Tractor mounted hydraulic corer (Giddings Machine Company)
- Compost turner (Brown Bear Corporation)
- Poulan Pro Rototiller
- Plot combine & thresher (mobile and stationary) (Classic, Wintersteiger Inc.) with a corn header and small grains header
4×4 field trucks (automatic drive)
Trailers for hauling equipment

*Technician Megan harvesting corn with the Department of Soil Science’s Wintersteiger Classic plot combine and corn header ©Lanny Gardiner*

Technicon Autoanalyzer II Systems for soil nutrients (NH₄⁺, NO₃^–, Acid-P, DOC, SO₄^–, and urea)
Inductively coupled plasma emission spectrophotometer (Varian ICP)
Walk-in refrigerator (4°C) and freezer (-20°C)
Lab freezers (-80°C)
Soil and plant drying room (~48°C)
Plant biomass drying oven
Lab bench drying ovens
Freeze dryer
Walk-in grow room / incubator
Dedicated and ventilated plant grinding room (Thomas Wiley Laboratory Mill Model 4)
Dedicated and ventilated soil grinding room (Rolling Mill, Soil Grinder, and Ball Mill)
Root washer
Reach-in growth cabinets
Floor centrifuges
Muffle furnace
Acid digestion system for Kjeldahl digests (Weston Block Digester)
Ultra pure water system (deionized water)
Liquid Scintillation Counter (Beckman LS6500)
Tri-Carb Liquid Scintillation Counter (Perkin Elmer)
GPS Total Stations

*Department of Soil Science field truck ©Marliese Peterson*

Research Stations and Teaching Facilities

AAFC Brandon Research and Development Centre, Brandon MB
AAFC Canada-Manitoba Crop Diversification Centre (CMCDC), Carberry MB
Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre, Glenlea MB
Churchill Northern Studies Centre, Churchill MB
Department of Soil Science Undergraduate Teaching Lab
Glenlea Research Station, Gleanlea MB
- National Centre for Livestock and the Environment (NCLE)
- Trace Gas Manitoba (TGAS-MAN)
Ian N. Morrison Research Farm, Carman, MB
Kelburn Farm – Richardson International, Ritchot MB